Combined table knife and fork.



G. H. RUBLE.

COMBINED TABLE KNIFE AND PORK.

APPLIUATION FILED 00128, 1908.

Patented Mar. 2, 1909.

Q/Uil nmxma attain:

CARY H. RUBLE, OF POLAND, INDIANA.

fa COMBINED TABLE KNIFE AND FORK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 2, 1909.

Application filed October 28, 1908. Serial No. 459,906.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CARY H. RUBLE, a citizen of the United States,residing at P0- land, in the county of Clay and State of In diana, haveinvented new and useful linrovements in a Combined Table Knife and Tork,of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a combined table fork and knife, and moreparticularly to a table fork provided with a rotary knife for cuttingpurposes.

The invention has for one of its objects to improve and simplify theconstruction of devices of this character so as to be comparativelysimple and inexpensive to manufacture, easily and conveniently used, andso designed as not to be cumbersome or inattractive in appearance.

Another object of the invention is the pro' vision of a fork having aslotted shank in which is mounted a cutting wheel whereby certain foodscan be conveniently cut into pieces without needing the usual tableknife so that one utensil serves the purpose of two.

With these objects in view and others, as will appear as the descriptionproceeds, the invention comprises the various novel features ofconstruction and arrangement of 1plarts which will be more fullydescribed ereinafter and set forth with particularity in the claimsappended hereto.

In the accompanying drawing, which illustrates one embodiment of theinvention, Figure 1 is a perspective view of the combined fork andknife. Fig. nal section thereof. Fig. 3 is a transverse section on line33, Fig. 2.

Similar reference characters are employed to designate correspondingparts throughout the views.

Referring to the drawing, 1 designates the handle of the fork; 2, theshank; and 3, the prongs or tines thereof. The inner or heel portion ofthe tines and contiguous portion of the shank are provided with a singlelongitudinal slot 4 for receiving a rotary diskshaped knife 5 which ismounted on a shaft 6. The shank 2 is enlarged at 3 and provided withopenings 7 through which the ends of the shank or axle extend and the 2is a longitudiends of the axle are riveted or formed into heads so as toprevent displacement. The

. disk has a hub 8 and the end faces of the hub bear against the opposedwalls of the slot 4 so that the wheel cannot move laterally on the shaftor axle 7. The wheel projects con siderably below the under side of thefork so that food of ordinary thickness can be completely severed by theknife 5, so that the ordinary table knife will not be required, and bylocating the cutter 5 in the center line of the fork, there is littledanger of the fork slipping in the hand during the cutting strokes, thestrokes being made in a direction longitudinally of the fork.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with theaccompanying drawing, the advantages of the construction and of themethod of operation will be readily apparent to those skilled in the artto which the invention appertains, and while I have described theprinciple of operation of the invention, together with the device whichI now consider to be the best embodiment thereof, I desire to have itunderstood that the device shown is merely illustrative, and that suchchanges may be made when desired as are within the scope of the claimsappended hereto.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim is l. A fork providedwith a central longitudinally-extending slot adjacent the inner ends ofthe tines of the fork, and a rotary cutter mounted in the slot andprojecting above and below the fork.

2. A fork including tines, a shank, and a handle, said shank having alongitudinallyextending slot at a point between the tines and handle, incombination with an axle extending transversely to the slot, a rotarycutter mounted on the axle, said cutter having a hub arranged with itsend faces bearing against the opposed walls of the slot.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CARY H. RUBLE.

Witnesses OWEN REEDER, ANNA MERCHANT.

